Page 78 of Summer in Greece

From the stern railings, we took a last view of Syros. The ship pulled out of the harbour as the sun neared the horizon. From the high deck, we could see the entire amphitheatre that was the town. Now, from a distance, it became clear that the buildings were on two hills, each topped by the largest church in that area with the monastery being the crown.

‘What an enchanting place,’ I said. ‘One day I’m going to return and investigate Syros properly. Just this short glimpse has made me want to come back.’

‘Ah, nothing to do with Manno the mailman then?’ Josephine asked kindly, tilting her head to one side and, as I’d come to realise was her trait, narrowing her eyes mischievously.

*

Dinner was a simple affair: bully beef, boiled potatoes, and large, sweet processed peas. It smelled and tasted wonderful. I sat next to Nurse Josephine, on a table reserved for the medical staff. The surgeon and a relief doctor joined us and asked about the Britannic’s sinking. I remained quiet, my heart fluttering as Josephine filled them in with all she knew. There was no mention of portholes. To my enormous relief, everyone’s concern seemed to be whether a torpedo or mine sunk the ship that, like the Titanic, was deemed to be unsinkable.

Before retiring for the night, Josephine got on her knees at her bedside and prayed. I wrote a letter to Manno. He had been such a big part of my journey so far that I decided to tell him about the portholes. I had to tell somebody; it was eating me up. I needed to discuss it with an older, wiser person before it slipped out by accident. I thanked him for the way he had cared for us all, and told him I was sorry we parted, and that I would come back one day, if I could. I sealed the letter and placed it in my apron pocket. The post was censored, so the last thing I wanted was for someone to read it. I would post it from whichever port we called into next.

Then I slipped out to search for Perkins and found him on a bed in the medical centre. ‘Ah, here we are. How are you doing, Corporal?’

‘For a soldier with his head sliced open by a twenty-four-foot propeller, arm shattered by the back axle of a three-ton jeep, and leg chopped off by an overzealous surgeon, I can safely say I’m as well as can be expected. Kiss me.’

‘Behave, Corporal! You’re exaggerating, and the man I’ve come to care for is bigger than that.’

‘Do you really care for this wreck of a man, nurse?’ He peered at me with forlorn eyes, a man lost in his situation with no idea how to handle it, and wondering where he will end up. ‘I feel so completely alone. Sometimes, I wish you hadn’t saved me.’

Oh, poor man. ‘Don’t you dare talk like that, Corporal. You have my blood flowing through you, and let me tell you; I am courageous, and I come from a long line of courageous people! So you just gather up all that courageous blood of mine and keep a grip on it, do you understand me, soldier?’

‘He kissed you, I saw. They were taking me on board.’

‘He took a liberty and admittedly I should have slapped him, but I was too shocked, Corporal. Now, no more nonsense. I’ll thank you not to mention it again. Did they feed you?’

‘I think they forgot; but it’s not food I’m hungering after, Nurse Gertie.’

I ignored his boldness. ‘I’ll go and see if I can get you something from the galley.’

‘I love you,’ he said.

‘Don’t talk such nonsense! You hardly know me.’

I dared to glance into his eyes and caught a sudden flash of the truth.

Behind his foolery crouched debilitating fear. I hadn’t considered his situation until that moment but if anything happened in the night, what chance would he have? Even with the aid of crutches, could Perkins traverse the sloping decks of a sinking ship to a lifeboat? Or even get off his bed in time? And could the Corporal swim with only one complete leg? All these things, I realised, must have gone through his mind. The horror of being trapped and alone. In the case of a torpedo hit, watertight doors would be closed before he could get through. He would drown; all alone in the grey hulk.

‘To tell the truth, Corporal, I’m a little afraid after all that happened on the Britannic,’ I said. ‘What are the chances of it happening again?’ I reached for his hand and squeezed it. ‘Do you think the Hun know we’re here? Perhaps they’re following us in one of their U-boats, just waiting for the right moment. What do you think?’

‘I think you really ought to kiss me.’

‘I think you know perfectly well I am not that sort of girl.’

‘That’s why I’ve fallen in love with you.’

‘Stop it, now, or I’ll leave.’

Perkins hitched himself clumsily up onto his elbows, a grimace of pain distorting his handsome face. ‘You’re perfectly lovely; do you know that?’ he said.

When I placed my hand on his cheek to test his temperature, he took hold of my wrist and held it there, pressing his face against my hand.

‘Is it hurting a lot?’ I asked, searching his features, hoping my attention would work the magic of healing him. ‘You must be very tired, pain is so wearing and although you’re very brave, I see through your act, Corporal.’

His smile was slightly mocking, yet his eyes were so feverishly bright, I prayed he was not falling foul of gangrene or sepsis.

‘Call me “darling” and mean it – give me just one kiss to take with me – then if I die in this damned war, at least I can take that to heaven with me.’

I peered into his eyes and saw the truth; his fear, his tenderness, and there was love in the way he gazed at me too. My heart beat hard for all the young soldiers, and for what this war might do to them. The injustice of it. The pain they would endure, and the tears of their families who would never see their boys again.